Specialty chemicals supplier is acquired by German company

Melrob Group Holdings – the UK-based specialty chemicals business which has offices worldwide – has been acquired by the German company Nordmann, Rassmann GmbH (NRC).

Dow Schofield Watts and DWF advised on the deal, which will strengthen Hamburg-based NRC’s business in Asia Pacific and North America and give it access to the market for industrial chemicals and monomers and the biomaterials sector.

Melrob has headquarters in Crawley and UK offices in Tring and Congleton, with overseas offices in Europe, the US, Japan and South Korea. The business was established in 1995 by Ian Melluish, the current MD, and Marie Roberts, the Operations Director, to supply the contact lens and medical device industry.

It now distributes speciality chemicals, polymers and nutritional supplements to industries including rubber, plastics, coatings, adhesives, fine chemicals, and biomaterials. It is also one of the world’s leading manufacturers of specialty monomers, with its own production facility in Singapore. Melrob was named as one of Sussex’s top 20 companies in a recent survey by business advisers BDO.

“Nordmann, Rassmann is Melrob’s first choice,” remarks Ian Melluish, Managing Director of Melrob Group Holdings Ltd. “Strategically speaking, we’ve found the ideal partner – and the extremely close cooperation throughout the negotiating period made it very clear that our companies share a great deal in terms of corporate culture, as well as identical views on ethics. We know that the enterprise we have been building since 1995 – with passion and great personal commitment – is being placed in reliable, business-savvy hands.”

Philip Price and Victoria Edwards of Dow Schofield Watts’ corporate finance team advised Melrob on the sale. Philip Price said: “This deal, which comes just a week after the launch of Pangea M&A, our international network of advisers, further highlights our experience in cross-border mergers and acquisitions, and our knowledge of the chemicals sector.”

Alasdair Outhwaite, corporate partner, and Francesca Kinsella corporate solicitor, of DWF provided legal advice to the company. Alasdair Outhwaite said: “We’re delighted to have advised Melrob on this transaction with Nordmann, Rassmann which is a key strategic merger as the company looks towards its next phase of growth. This cross-border deal not only highlights DWF’s sector capabilities but also international expertise.”